MMC Cyber Handbook 2018

Over the last year, we have reached a new and important turning point in the struggle to manage cyber risk. In the war between cyber attackers and cyber defenders, we have reached what Winston Churchill might call “the end of the beginning.” Three characteristics mark this new phase. First, global cyber-crime has reached such a high level of sophistication that it represents a mature, though illicit, global business sector in its own right. Second, with near-ubiquitous technologies now connecting the digital and physical worlds to an unprecedented degree, new potential exists for individual cyber-attacks to devastate critical business and operational processes. The third characteristic taking shape today is the rising importance of institutions—governments, regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, the insurance industry, and others—as critical to counter the global cyber threat. Cyber risks can only be effectively dealt with if there is a common understanding of their importance and increased interconnected nature. Against this backdrop, the 2018 edition of the MMC Cyber Risk Handbook provides insights on the shifting cyber threat environment, emerging global regulatory trends, and best practices in the journey to cyber resiliency. The handbook features articles from business leaders across Marsh & McLennan Companies and our expert and notable collaborators. We hope this handbook will help you better understand what it takes to achieve cyber resiliency in the face of this significant and persistent threat.